


Bathing Room Philosophy

by koanju (verstehen)



Category: Suikoden, Suikoden I
Genre: Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-01
Updated: 2009-12-01
Packaged: 2017-10-04 01:33:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verstehen/pseuds/koanju





	Bathing Room Philosophy

"Destiny, eh?" Flik muttered as he sank further into the ultra-hot water. Viktor shot him a puzzled look, too contented by the long-needed soak to really pay any attention to his partner. Tetsu had done extensive remodeling to the castle baths since the last time the pair of them had been back, and Viktor sort of enjoyed the jungle theme. It was definitely better than those tin cans to bathe in; this at least appealed to his sense of aesthetics. Not to mention being bigger. The last trip out had been hard on everyone; Viktor could still recall the horrified look on young Hix's face before Tengaar smacked him out of his shock. It was good that the kid was giving everyone a few days off to recover. The battles to come were going to be even harder than the one with Neclord.

Which, for Viktor, was saying a lot. Neclord had always been personal.

Viktor shook his head slightly, and ducked all the way under the water. Neclord was long gone, and when the war was over maybe Viktor could finally make North Window a /home/ again. He came out of the hot water with a gasp, sending drops of water washing over the tile floor.

"Watch it," Flik growled at Viktor, wiping his eyes dry from Viktor's onslaught. Viktor just grinned before swiftly sending another spray of water straight into Flik's face. Flik pushed his now-soaked hair out of his eyes, and did his best to glare at Viktor. Viktor's grin turned into a smirk; Flik looked like a drowned rat.

"What'cha gonna do, prettyboy?" Viktor asked nonchalantly, referring to the name Nina had given the attack Flik, Miklotov, and Camus had devised together. Flik's glare grew even direr, and he shuddered slightly.

"Hey Viktor?" Flik asked after a few moments, closing his eyes, and resting his head against the rim of the bath. Viktor studied Flik closely, his friend seemed unusually sober, and not even a slight reference to his nemesis Nina brought Flik out of his slump. "Do you believe that this is all destined? All that stuff about stars that Leknaat talks about?"

Viktor stared hard at his friend for a few seconds, feeling his good mood evaporate in the face of Flik's seriousness. "Why?"

Unexpectedly, Flik smiled. It was a bitter mocking smile. "Because if it's my destiny to be stalked by crazed schoolgirls, give me free will any day." Flik's eyes slid past Viktor's solid frame, and Viktor knew that he was looking at the sword. Most people carried mementos of the past like letters or jewelry or even the odd rune or two, yet both Viktor and Flik carried swords. It was part of reason they got along so well despite the frequent clashes of tempers and Flik's incessant nagging.

Viktor sighed, tensed his shoulder muscles and stretched out as high as he could, trying to work the kinks out of his right shoulder. The Star Dragon Sword was not only verbally abusive, but also hard as hell on his arms. That thing must've been forged out of the heaviest fucking steel possible. "You really wanna know what I think?" Flik nodded, stood and motioned for Viktor to turn around. "Thanks," he said quietly, smiling at his friend as Flik began beating the knots out of Viktor's back. "Well, I think it's a combination of both, actually."

"Really?" Flik sounded vaguely surprised. "Heh, just like you, give the answer no one else would." The teasing tone in his voice was fond. Viktor laughed. Flik smacked him on the back of the head. "You want this done correctly, then don't move."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Viktor gave Flik a mock salute, knowing that Flik would be able to tell the motion from his stance. Predictably it earned him another smack to the back of the head, and a light, rolling chuckle from Flik. Viktor rolled his shoulders. "Thanks," he repeated, turning back to face Flik. The pair of them sat back down in the bath.

"So, are you going to explain?" Flik asked quietly, reaching for the soap. Viktor laughed.

"Hold on." He stood up and walked to the door. Peaking his head out, he noticed Tetsu in his usual spot outside of the door. The man was sleeping. "Hey, man!" Viktor called quietly, trying to get his attention. Tetsu yawned and looked over sleepily. "Will you make sure we get some privacy?"

"Viktor, it's the dead of night. Anyone sane is still asleep. I don't have to do anything," Tetsu replied crossly before closing his eyes and starting to snore.

Viktor snorted, closed the door, and hurried back to the hot water. Those tiles were _cold_. He sighed contentedly as he eased back into the water, sitting across from Flik so he could look at his friend. Flik rolled his eyes. "You wanna know about destiny, right? Well, in my age and experience," Flik snorted and tried to suppress a snicker, "I've found that it's our choices that bring us places."

"Our choices? Wouldn't that mean that everything is dictated by free will?" Flik's eyebrows creased as he tried to puzzle out what Viktor meant.

Viktor couldn't help himself. He laughed, earning an even more puzzled look from his friend. "It's not everyday that I'm the you go to to talk philosophy, Mr. Don't-You-DARE-Touch-My-Books-If-You-Wanna-Keep-That-Hand," Viktor said through his laughter. Flik nodded, a rueful smile finally gracing its way onto his face. It was a start.

"Just get on with it, Viktor," Flik said harshly. The smile on his face took away most of the heat of the words.

Viktor took a deep breath. "It's kinda hard to explain."

"Is this a 'I'm making it up as I go along' hard to explain?" Flik asked, amused.

Viktor shook his head. "No, I'm just having problems putting it right. I mean, this is something my sister told me."

Flik instantly looked contrite. "You don't have to talk about it, you know."

Viktor snorted. "That was a long time ago. The past is the past."

"Until it bites you in the ass, like Neclord did," Flik retorted.

Viktor nodded, conceding the point. "You want me to explain or not?" He asked, trying to steer the conversation back onto track.

"Whatever you want, Viktor."

Viktor closed his eyes, and thought of his sister, as she had been before Neclord. As North Window had once been. "We all have choices. Destiny brings us to those choices, but in the end, it is up to us." Viktor opened his eyes. Flik was watching him closely.

"So destiny gives us the options, but we shape destiny with our choices from what's provided?" Flik asked slowly, testing the concept out in his mind.

Viktor frowned. "It's sort of like this, I guess. It was fated that you'd leave the Warrior Village, and -"

Flik laughed. "Fate, nothing. Tradition."

Viktor rolled his eyes, smiling. "Fate, tradition. Doesn't matter. Tradition was just the instrument." Flik snorted, telling Viktor what he thought of that. "Anyway, it was fated that you leave. It was fated that you meet," Viktor paused slightly, "Odessa." Viktor pointed at Flik. "You had several choices then: don't join the rebellion and continue journeying, join the rebellion temporarily, join the rebellion permanently, join the rebellion and have sex with Odessa, join the rebellion and fall in love with Odessa." Flik's face had turned slightly red, and Viktor knew he was trying the other man's patience with this example. "I'm sure there's a shitload of other choices as well. But you chose to join, and fall in love with Odessa."

"So?"

Viktor sighed. "Well, after you made that choice, Destiny rearranged things along a path until you came to your next choice."

Flik scowled, thinking. "It's that contradictory? I mean, in its essence, wouldn't that make my eventual choices fated as well? And what about the effect of other people's choices on us?" Flik gestured to his hand, and Viktor knew he was thinking of McDohl.

Viktor smiled a little sadly. "I never thought of it that way. I pretty much took my sister's words for granted."

Flik leaned his head against the edge. "Just curious." Viktor took it for the apology it was.

"What do you want to do when the war's over?" Viktor asked, wondering if maybe that was what had brought on Flik's sudden urge to wonder about the state of universe. "Go home?"

"You want to stay here, right?" Flik avoided the question expertly. Viktor chuckled a little, amused that Flik had asked the one thing he had been thinking about himself.

He opened his mouth not sure what would come out. "North Window was my home once. Now it's moved on to something different." Viktor patted the tile floor lightly; finding himself slightly surprised by his own response. "And I'm tired of being a revolutionary. Been there, done that."

"What about going back to being mercenaries?" Viktor smiled, pleased at the plural in Flik's words. Seems as if Flik would be accompanying him regardless.

"I'd like to try something different," Viktor said simply.

"Like what?" Flik asked curiously.

Viktor shrugged. "I'll figure it out when I get there."

Flik laughed. "It's nice to know that you never change, Viktor." Seemed his dark mood had pretty much left him. Viktor was glad.

"I should hope my technique had improved a bit since you've known me," Viktor said in a falsely insulted tone. "After learning from the master," Viktor gestured to Flik, making sure to fling water while he was at it, "I should hope that I've progressed beyond beating killer bunny rabbits!"

Flik burst into laughter, a clear sound that echoed throughout the room. "Oh, of course. You can kill weeds now as well," he bantered back. He half-smiled. "Hey Viktor?"

Viktor studied his friend for a moment, taking in the dark wet hair, the equally dark circles from several nights without rest during the chase around the Tinto mines, and the scattered battle scars. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Always, Flik, always."


End file.
